The present invention relates to a photographic printing method and to a photographic printer for making trimming prints from photographic film having a plurality of frames recorded thereon. The invention relates more particularly to a photographic printing method and a photographic printer capable of making trimming prints of successive frames in an efficient printing order.
A print in which a subject is photographed in enlarged fashion according to telephotography is obtained conventionally by using a camera having a zooming function. It is difficult to make such a camera more compact and inexpensive because of the use of a zoom lens. Therefore, it is convenient for the zooming function to be applied not only to the camera but also to a photographic printer such as one which has a zoom lens for a printing lens in order to enlarge a frame to obtain a trimming print. In a trimming print, a partial area of the frame is enlarged to be printed in a manner similar to telephotography. For this purpose, it has been suggested that data as to the trimming magnification at which the printer should enlarge the image be recorded on the recording medium such as the film at the time of photo-taking in correspondence with the frame.
However, if the printing order follows the succession of frames when the focal length of the zoom lens in the printer is adjusted in accordance with the trimming magnification data to subject each frame to exposure to print at the specified trimming magnification, then problems arise in that a long time is needed to set the focal length of the zoom lens. As a result, the efficiency of making trimming prints is low.